1947–48 NHL season

1947–48 NHL season
1947–48 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 15, 1947 – April 14, 1948
Number of games	60
Number of teams	6
Regular season
Season champion	Toronto Maple Leafs
Season MVP	Bud O'Connor (Rangers)
Top scorer	Elmer Lach (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Toronto Maple Leafs
Runners-up	Detroit Red Wings
NHL seasons
	← 1946–47 1948–49 →

The 1947–48 NHL season was the 31st season of the National Hockey League. Six teams each played 60 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the Stanley Cup winners. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings four games to none. This season saw the introduction of a new trophy – Art Ross Trophy – that would be handed out to the player who scored the most points during the regular season.

Regular season

The season saw the return of the National Hockey League All-Star Game, an idea that, although proposed in the previous season, came into fruition this year. The all-star game, however, saw a bad ankle injury to Chicago Black Hawks forward Bill Mosienko that nearly ended his career. Other stars would retire, ending both the Montreal Canadiens' Punch line and the Boston Bruins' Kraut line. However, this season saw the creation of the Detroit Red Wings' Production Line. The policy of having players raise their hockey sticks to signify that a goal was scored was also initiated in this season, at the suggestion of Frank Patrick, with Habs forward Billy Reay being the first to do on November 13, 1947. The season also saw Boston's Don Gallinger suspended indefinitely pending an investigation of gambling activities and the New York Rangers' Billy "The Kid" Taylor being expelled for life for gambling.

Seven games into the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks made, at that time, the biggest trade in NHL history. The Maple Leafs sent five players to the Black Hawks in trade for Max Bentley and rookie winger Cy Thomas. Thomas only played eight games that year but Bentley handed to the Leafs a much-needed offensive boost that helped propel the team to first overall and an eventual Stanley Cup.

The New York Rangers decided to make a trade to improve their fortunes and sent Hal Laycoe, Joe Bell, and George Robertson to Montreal in exchange for Buddy O'Connor and defenceman Frank Eddolls. Montreal missed O'Connor, as their goal-scoring plummeted. Ken Mosdell was out from the start of the season with a broken arm, Rocket Richard had trouble with a bad knee and Murph Chamberlain broke his leg. In an attempt to boost the goal-scoring, Montreal traded Jimmy Peters and Johnny Quilty to Boston in exchange for Joe Carveth, but the rot continued. However, the worst occurred on January 11, 1948, when the Canadiens played the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Habs lost more than a game when Bill Juzda checked captain Toe Blake into the boards, breaking Blake's ankle and ending his career. It was also the end of the famed "Punch Line". (Ironically, that same night, Johnny Quilty's career was ended with a compound fracture of the leg). The Canadiens missed the playoffs for the first time since 1940, and Bill Durnan, for the only time in his career, failed to win the Vezina Trophy. This season was also the last season in which a goaltender was allowed to be named captain of their team. Bill Durnan was the last goaltender in NHL history to be captain. Toronto's Turk Broda won the Vezina this season.

Final standings

National Hockey League^[1]
v
t
e
		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	DIFF	Pts
1	Toronto Maple Leafs	60	32	15	13	182	143	+39	77
2	Detroit Red Wings	60	30	18	12	187	148	+39	72
3	Boston Bruins	60	23	24	13	167	168	−1	59
4	New York Rangers	60	21	26	13	176	201	−25	55
5	Montreal Canadiens	60	20	29	11	147	169	−22	51
6	Chicago Black Hawks	60	20	34	6	195	225	−30	46

Playoffs

Playoff bracket

Semifinals			Stanley Cup Finals

1	Toronto	4

3	Boston	1
			1	Toronto	4

			2	Detroit	0
2	Detroit	4

4	New York	2

Semifinals

(1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Boston Bruins

Toronto defeated Boston four games to one, although Boston kept it closer than the series tally would indicate. Three of the five games were decided by a single goal.

March 24	Boston Bruins		4–5	OT	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Murray Henderson (1) – 01:18		First period			11:29 – Bill Ezinicki (1)
Ed Harrison (1) – 08:39		Second period			17:33 – Max Bentley (1)
Pat Egan (1) – 02:35 Ken Smith (1) – 08:38		Third period			12:03 – Syl Apps (1) 15:34 – Jimmy Thomson (1)
No scoring		First overtime period			17:03 – Nick Metz (1)
Frank Brimsek		Goalie stats			Turk Broda

March 27	Boston Bruins		3–5	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Johnny Peirson (1) – pp – 08:39		First period		05:41 – Ted Kennedy (1) 19:54 – pp – Ted Kennedy (2)
Pete Babando (1) – pp – 02:16		Second period		06:34 – Ted Kennedy (3) 12:24 – Ted Kennedy (4)
Milt Schmidt (1) – 10:43		Third period		07:37 – Max Bentley (2)
Frank Brimsek		Goalie stats		Turk Broda

March 30	Toronto Maple Leafs		5–1	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Howie Meeker (1) – 03:40 Bill Barilko (1) – 12:28		First period		No scoring
Ted Kennedy (5) – 09:24		Second period		01:10 – Milt Schmidt (2)
Garth Boesch (1) – 07:00 Nick Metz (2) – 17:49		Third period		No scoring
Turk Broda		Goalie stats		Frank Brimsek

April 1	Toronto Maple Leafs		2–3	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period		02:47 – Ed Sandford (1)
Bill Ezinicki (2) – 01:36		Second period		07:31 – Johnny Peirson (2)
Syl Apps (2) – 15:08		Third period		13:24 – Johnny Peirson (3)
Turk Broda		Goalie stats		Frank Brimsek

April 3	Boston Bruins		2–3	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Jimmy Peters (1) – pp – 05:20		First period		08:41 – Vic Lynn (1) 16:13 – Les Costello (1)
Ken Smith (2) – 12:08		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		05:52 – Ted Kennedy (6)
Frank Brimsek		Goalie stats		Turk Broda

Toronto won series 4–1

(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) New York Rangers

It looked initially to be a close series as, after the Blueshirts lost the first two games, the Rangers won the next two to tie the series. Detroit then took the next two to win the series in six games to qualify for the Finals.

March 24	New York Rangers		1–2	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period		15:04 – Ted Lindsay (1) 19:06 – pp – Jim Conacher (1)
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
Tony Leswick (1) – 03:35		Third period		No scoring
Chuck Rayner		Goalie stats		Harry Lumley

March 26	New York Rangers		2–5	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
Edgar Laprade (1) – 14:53		First period		04:00 – Jim McFadden (1)
No scoring		Second period		04:57 – Jim McFadden (2) 08:18 – pp – Marty Pavelich (1)
Neil Colville (1) – 10:51		Third period		10:04 – Leo Reise (1) 14:49 – Marty Pavelich (2)
Chuck Rayner		Goalie stats		Harry Lumley

March 28	Detroit Red Wings		2–3	New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden III	Recap
No scoring		First period		03:32 – Phil Watson (1) 10:35 – Phil Watson (2)
Ted Lindsay (2) – 19:40		Second period		No scoring
Jack Stewart (1) – 16:03		Third period		09:02 – Tony Leswick (2)
Harry Lumley		Goalie stats		Chuck Rayner

March 30	Detroit Red Wings		1–3	New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden III	Recap
Jim McFadden (3) – 03:41		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		10:08 – pp – Bryan Hextall (1) 10:41 – Eddie Kullman (1)
No scoring		Third period		13:32 – Tony Leswick (3)
Harry Lumley		Goalie stats		Chuck Rayner

April 1	New York Rangers		1–3	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period		04:02 – pp – Red Kelly (1)
No scoring		Second period		14:13 – pp – Pete Horeck (1)
Buddy O'Connor (1) – 12:49		Third period		13:55 – Red Kelly (2)
Chuck Rayner		Goalie stats		Harry Lumley

April 4	Detroit Red Wings		4–2	New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden III	Recap
Red Kelly (3) – pp – 13:46 Gordie Howe (1) – pp – 14:30 Pat Lundy (1) – 17:51		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
Jim McFadden (4) – 10:49		Third period		12:49 – Don Raleigh (1) 19:08 – Don Raleigh (2)
Harry Lumley		Goalie stats		Chuck Rayner

Detroit won series 4–2

Stanley Cup Finals

April 7	Detroit Red Wings		3–5	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Jim McFadden (5) – 07:20		First period		08:21 – Harry Watson (1) 09:04 – Joe Klukay (1) 18:24 – Syl Apps (3)
No scoring		Second period		14:31 – Gus Mortson (1) 19:21 – Howie Meeker (2)
Jim Conacher (2) – 04:28 Ted Lindsay (3) – 05:25		Third period		No scoring
Harry Lumley		Goalie stats		Turk Broda

April 10	Detroit Red Wings		2–4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
No scoring		First period		13:31 – Max Bentley (3)
Pete Horeck (2) – 18:18		Second period		03:38 – pp – Bill Ezinicki (3) 17:16 – pp – Max Bentley (4) 18:50 – Harry Watson (2)
Fern Gauthier (1) – pp – 17:18		Third period		No scoring
Harry Lumley		Goalie stats		Turk Broda

April 11	Toronto Maple Leafs		2–0	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
Harry Watson (3) – 19:42		Second period		No scoring
Vic Lynn (2) – 15:16		Third period		No scoring
Turk Broda		Goalie stats		Harry Lumley

April 14	Toronto Maple Leafs		7–2	Detroit Red Wings	Olympia Stadium	Recap
Ted Kennedy (7) – pp – 02:51 Garth Boesch (2) – sh – 05:03 Harry Watson (4) – 11:13		First period		No scoring
Syl Apps (4) – 04:26 Ted Kennedy (8) – 09:42 Harry Watson (5) – sh – 11:38		Second period		02:41 – Leo Reise (2)
Les Costello (2) – pp – 14:37		Third period		18:48 – Pete Horeck (3)
Turk Broda		Goalie stats		Harry Lumley

Toronto won series 4–0

Awards

Turk Broda with the Stanley Cup and the Vezina Trophy

O'Brien Cup: (Stanley Cup runner-up)	Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy: (Top regular season record)	Toronto Maple Leafs
Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer)	Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player)	Jim McFadden, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player)	Bud O'Connor, New York Rangers
Lady Byng Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship)	Bud O'Connor, New York Rangers
Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender of team with lowest GAA)	Turk Broda, Toronto Maple Leafs

All-Star teams

First team	Position	Second team
Turk Broda, Toronto Maple Leafs	G	Frank Brimsek, Boston Bruins
Bill Quackenbush, Detroit Red Wings	D	Ken Reardon, Montreal Canadiens
Jack Stewart, Detroit Red Wings	D	Neil Colville, New York Rangers
Elmer Lach, Montreal Canadiens	C	Buddy O'Connor, New York Rangers
Maurice Richard, Montreal Canadiens	RW	Bud Poile, Chicago Black Hawks
Ted Lindsay, Detroit Red Wings	LW	Gaye Stewart, Chicago Black Hawks

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Elmer Lach	Montreal Canadiens	60	30	31	61
Buddy O'Connor	New York Rangers	60	24	36	60
Doug Bentley	Chicago Black Hawks	60	20	37	57
Gaye Stewart	Toronto Maple Leafs / Chicago Black Hawks	61	27	29	56
Max Bentley	Black Hawks / Toronto Maple Leafs	59	26	28	54
Bud Poile	Toronto Maple Leafs / Chicago Black Hawks	58	25	29	54
Maurice Richard	Montreal Canadiens	53	28	25	53
Syl Apps	Toronto Maple Leafs	55	26	27	53
Ted Lindsay	Detroit Red Wings	60	33	19	52
Roy Conacher	Chicago Black Hawks	52	22	27	49

Source: NHL^[2]

Leading goaltenders

GP = Games Played, TOI = Time on ice (minutes), GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average

Player	Team	GP	TOI	GA	SO	GAA
Turk Broda	Toronto Maple Leafs	60	3600	143	5	2.38
Harry Lumley	Detroit Red Wings	60	3592	147	7	2.46
Bill Durnan	Montreal Canadiens	59	3505	162	5	2.77
Frank Brimsek	Boston Bruins	60	3600	168	3	2.80
Jim Henry	New York Rangers	48	2800	153	2	3.19
Emile Francis	Chicago Black Hawks	54	3240	183	1	3.39

Coaches

Boston Bruins: Dit Clapper
Chicago Black Hawks: Johnny Gottselig
Detroit Red Wings: Tommy Ivan
Montreal Canadiens: Dick Irvin
New York Rangers: Frank Boucher
Toronto Maple Leafs: Hap Day

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1947–48 (listed with their first team):

Ed Sandford, Boston Bruins
Paul Ronty, Boston Bruins
Metro Prystai, Chicago Black Hawks
Marty Pavelich, Detroit Red Wings
Red Kelly, Detroit Red Wings
Floyd Curry, Montreal Canadiens
Tom Johnson, Montreal Canadiens
Gerry McNeil, Montreal Canadiens
Doug Harvey, Montreal Canadiens
Ed Kullman, New York Rangers
Fleming MacKell, Toronto Maple Leafs
Tod Sloan, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1947–48 (listed with their last team):

John Quilty, Boston Bruins
John Mariucci, Chicago Black Hawks
Toe Blake, Montreal Canadiens
Bryan Hextall, New York Rangers
Phil Watson, New York Rangers
Billy Taylor, New York Rangers
Syl Apps, Toronto Maple Leafs
Nick Metz, Toronto Maple Leafs

References

Diamond, Dan, ed. (1994). Years of glory, 1942–1967: the National Hockey League's official book of the six-team era. Toronto, ON: McClelland and Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-2817-2.
Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
McFarlane, Brian (1973). The Story of the National Hockey League. New York: Pagurian Press. ISBN 0-684-13424-1.